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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Done with Gundam Dynames earlier this month, it's time to move on to the next 1/100 scale Gunpla from "Gundam Double O" Season 1: Gundam Kyrios. ^^

Gundam Kyrios is the only transformable type among the four, but personally, I don't really like the transformation gimmick given to this Gundam. ^^; It's all good when you look at the MA mode from the top, but flip it over, the lack of any feature to hide the exposing Gundam parts, especially the head is quite a bother to me. ^^; With everything so obviously exposed, it almost seems like a Gundam is stretching itself to fit beneath the nose and tail of the MA mode. The pose is very awkward but funny at the same time.

I think I mentioned this to a friend before, "If Gundam Kyrios's transformation looks good, Zeta Gundam's design must be godly then."

However, I do realize the simplicity given to the Gundam's transformation does allow better articulation design. Without major alteration to the various joints of the Gundam to fit the transformation, action poses of equivalent flexibility as the other non-transformable Gundams are possible. Of course that goes with the Gunpla design as well. While the transformation is really just so-so, the action poses of the kit are very good, and the overall proportion can be designed well.

Another similar example I can think of is HGUC Double Zeta Gundam. Its transformation is done via part-swapping, a feature I know many people dislike. These people seems to forget that part-swapping for a smaller scale kit like that helps to make the components stay firmer in either mode, and articulation design is definitely benefiting from that. From its review, I see many great poses that are not just impossible to configure with its complete transformation-type Master Grade version, the poses are so much firmer and good-looking, and the overall proportion of the kit is a lot more balanced as well.

Same case for Gundam Kyrios I believe. Its own transformation feature is definitely simpler than Double Zeta Gundam, but that simplicity allows the gimmick incorporated for its model kits in different scales to resemble the design from the anime very closely. There's no dilemmas of (1) having a kit that can transform, but it looks nothing like the MS from the show, or (2) the kits looks good in MS form, but doesn't transform, or (3) it can transform, the MS mode is good, but doesn't move very well. ^^;

Nothing can be perfect in every aspect. If lesser transformation gimmicks means better articulation and better proportion, I have no problem about it.

For Gundam Kyrios, I really like the sharp design given to its various components, including the knees that double as the main wings in MA mode, the shoulder armor and the shield. These parts make the Gundam look much bigger than Gundam Exia and Gundam Dynames. The backpack is really not a backpack in my opinion, but a quick solution to somewhat "concealing" the MA's nose and tail, XD but it's fine ^^;

Introduction of the kit on the box sides.

Extra size for the Gundam and parts for the MA mode give Gundam Kyrios a slightly bigger box size as compared to Gundam Exia (and Gundam Dynames as well).

Content

Front cover of the instruction manual showing Gundam Kyrios in its MA mode.

Huge difference between the designs as seen in the anime and for this 1/100 scale Gunpla version done by Kanetake Ebikawa.

A look at the different runners:

Runner A - Beside the dedicated sections for the clear, red and yellow parts, the main white portion contains parts for the head and upper arm.

The clear parts are already painted in green using normal highlighter.

Another batch of new goodies containing both new releases and a few old items just arrived recently. ^^ It's a mix of robot, moe, action figure, model kit, character goods and accessories this time. ^^

Soul of Chogokin GX-41B Black Reideen the Brave is a mighty figure I've been dreaming of for more than two years before finally deciding to make the purchase. ^^; Usually for something that I like that is very expensive, I would try to put it off my mind for a while (about two or three weeks), then reevaluate my interest for it. If I still can't make up my mind, I would repeat that process, again and again until I could decide on the final yes or no. I do believe that's one of the reasons I lose out on the opportunities of getting some of the stuff I really love from time to time. ^^; When I could finalize my decision to go and get it, it's already gone.

Good stuff comes to those who waited, but usually good stuff do not share the same virtue of patience ^^;

For Black Reideen the Brave, it's a really rare occasion of when I could finally make up my mind of getting it, I could still find a local online store that has it, brand new. ^^ Now that I got him, this usual expression animation is able to sum up my feeling, again.

Shockwave and Megatron are two of the latest Transformers movie's figures that I like very much. Both are extremely fierce-looking Decepticon designs, especially Shockwave with his sharp ribcage and of course, his signature over-sized cannon. ^^ Megatron in this latest incarnation is the movie version I like the most really. With a dedicated forearm cannon (not obvious in the first movie) and overall balanced robot design (unlike that T-Rex "tree branch" and tank caterpillar legs he got in the second movie), this is definitely the most easily acceptable Megatron of all three movies. ^^ Not that I hate the first two versions, I do appreciate the creativity put into their designs, but I prefer my Megatron to be just that evil bastard robot with a huge forearm cannon. XD As simple as that, and this oil tanker version of him is just nice. ^^

Putting the two of them together with Kotobukiya's Saber-san totally take away their fierceness I think XD

Soul Stage Act 5 Action Support Type for Mechanics Clear Ver. is another great support stand aimed for mecha-type figures, which would be good to address the size issue of Act 3 Action Support Type. It would be awesome to try out the stand with those two Transformers figures I think. ^^

All are items I looked forward to a lot. Still, in terms of awesomeness, none of them can match this one in my (personal) impression:

SH Figuarts Shadow Moon

My favorite Kamen Rider of all time, in its original TV series image I watched as a kid and love all the way until present days. Absolutely the Boss above everything else. ^^

Storage issue? What storage issue? Never heard of that one before. ^^;

Friday, July 29, 2011

Kagami vs Konata; Ryu vs Guile ^^It would be even more wacky if the designer threw in a comb for Konata XD

Miyuki vs Tsukasa; Crimson Viper vs KenLooks more like a game of paper-rock-scissors going on there XD

When it comes to "Street Fighter", what come to my mind first are always hot-bloodiness, Hadoken and Chunli (XD). This Nendoroid Petit figure set almost made me get rid of that idea, but with a laugh. There's absolutely no hot-bloodiness as all the characters show no sense of seriousness at all. It's impossible to associate the always severe-looking Guile with a wacky anime character like Konata. ^^ Kagami's Hadoken pose looks more like she's trying to clap her hands, XD and obviously there's no Chunli in this set. I cannot imagine who among the four is suitable to cosplay as Chunli actually, maybe Miyuki - a bespectacled Chunli would be fun to see, XD but it's fine.

My favorite out of the four is Miyuki of course, apart from the character herself, I find her ponytail braid to be quite a refreshing look. ^^ Her three friends retain the same hairstyles from the anime to cosplay for their respective "Street Fighter" characters, but Miyuki ties up her long hair instead. ^^ Be it for the closer resemblance to Crimson Viper, or ease of production for the figure, it's not an image common for Miyuki, which I like just as much as her usual style.

Speaking of which, Miyuki is the only one among the four from "Lucky Star" whom I have more than one figure of. So a comparison between Crimson Viper Miyuki and the larger versions of her would be totally in place: ^^

A very fun set of mini figures that are meant more for display instead of real playability. For folks who want some customization, the ability to swap the head parts between the figures will definitely help. Different cosplay for all the characters everyday is pretty fun too. ^^